well it's not Muscadet but tonight we had some very refreshing wines. Going through a (relative) hot spell in Northern Germany, we were happy to open the 2011 Leitz Eins-Zwei-Dry Riesling Trocken and the 2012 Leitz Rüdesheimer Kirchenpfad Riesling Kabinett feinherb. Both share the light body, mineral tingle, and refreshing nature of Muscadet. Although of course it is a different grape.

The 2011 Eins-Zwei-Dry was interesting because apparently it was so rich and juicy upon release but by this point it is much sleeker and mineral direct. The 2012 Kirchenpfad had a bit more sugary plump and of course a bit more terroir definition. It was very easy to drink. All in all, no complaints.

well it's not Muscadet but tonight we had some very refreshing wines. Going through a (relative) hot spell in Northern Germany, we were happy to open the 2011 Leitz Eins-Zwei-Dry Riesling Trocken and the 2012 Leitz Rüdesheimer Kirchenpfad Riesling Kabinett feinherb. Both share the light body, mineral tingle, and refreshing nature of Muscadet. Although of course it is a different grape.

The 2011 Eins-Zwei-Dry was interesting because apparently it was so rich and juicy upon release but by this point it is much sleeker and mineral direct. The 2012 Kirchenpfad had a bit more sugary plump and of course a bit more terroir definition. It was very easy to drink. All in all, no complaints.

Not to completely hijack this thread, but thank you for the notes, Rahsaan. I've never seen anything from Kirchenpfad before.

Medium lemon in color, no gold at all.More floral and fruit than sea shells on the nose. Still very bright tones here and appealing with its vibrancy. "Quite peach forward' from across the table.Entry is quite off-dry, orange and peach. Some very nice citrus and pineapple on mid-palate. Very good acidity, creamy, long appealing finish. No teeth-enamel removal here folks.The minerality shows up better if served not too chilled. Nice with roasted pork tenderloin.

Speaking of hijack, a Mosel Muscadet last night, the tingly 2011 JJ Christoffel Urziger Wurzgarten Alte Reben Spatlese Trocken which was pure crystalline mineral goodness, with a bit of inner fruity plump showing with extended airing. Nice wine, although hard for me to get my head around it, having tasted so many non-trocken UW over the years.

Sorry for encouraging Andrew's thread drift, but German Riesling is the only thing that can distract me from Muscadet!Looked on CellarTracker at holdings by producer --> #1 is Prum, #2 and just a bit behind is Domaine de La Pepiere Muscadet, and I drink lots of them all year round.Charles

Color is a deep lemon, no apparent gold as yet.On the brilliant aromatic nose, I found citrus, mineral, smell of salty sea-shells. Big aromats for sure, even on day 2.Initial mouthfeel entry is classic Moose! Great acidity, mineral as expected, citrus, dry, snappy. Apple, no spritz. "No ripeness as one might find in the fellow wine from Comte Leloup de Chasseloir" from across the table (looking at past notes). Lots of depth here still and nicely structured, plenty of interest. Held up really well on day two.

Went very well with chicken breast stuffed with a shrimp mousse. (512 views)

2005 Domaine de la Pepiere Clos des BriordsStill remarkably young. Lemon cream and wet stones. There's an herbal nuance on the finish. Might as well just leave it sitting in the cellar. Nothing changing here.Maybe the bit of creaminess is a sign of maturity, but it's very early maturity.

David M. Bueker wrote:2005 Domaine de la Pepiere Clos des BriordsStill remarkably young. Lemon cream and wet stones. There's an herbal nuance on the finish. Might as well just leave it sitting in the cellar. Nothing changing here.Maybe the bit of creaminess is a sign of maturity, but it's very early maturity.

Love these. And have since release. Looks like I've had 8 bottles so far and saving the rest for later. My impression is very different from yours though..."liquid rocks" rather than "wet stones."Charles

I enjoyed the 2009 and the rather crisper 2010 even more; on the other hand I found the 2011 excessively thin and acidic and did not repeat purchase after a trial bottle. After re-reading my TN on the 2010, I don't think that at this early stage this 2012 was quite so good as the 2010 when I wrote my TN but it was decidedly better than the 2011. It was quite light bodied and there was nicely floral white fruit and minerals showing salt and iodine notes, with a touch of saline firmness on the finish, which prevents its being dominated by the food. Good 15.5/20+ QPR! and I will certainly repeat purchase the 2012 at this price.

This leads me to revert to Jancis's article on Muscadet, which I posted here. I can see why some Musky producers are clutching at straws to improve their incomes; it would not surprise me to learn that Carrefour (notorious for squeezing its suppliers dry ) pays this producer less than €2 for each bottle. How can he make a living for this decent quality with prices like that ?

Medium yellow in colour, not much going on the nose here.....mineral, no sea shells though, white fruit. Unappealing to all who tasted.Very dry, good length but not exceptional. Pithy citrus, pear, good grip but lack of real Musky character. High acidity but that`s it. Should have opened my Luneau-Papin from same vintage.

Food was veal scallopini stuffed with shrimp mousse. Other wines were mainly Pinot Gris from BC.

OK, that is a good point Rahsaan but think Haut Bourg is not one of the better producers. This one store that I frequent has a poor Musky selection so I have to go across town (or Calgary) for the good stuff.

Couple of interesting new (to me) Muscadets over the last few weeks:Vinet 2011 Domaine Saint Martin, S&M, (12% ABV) just what I look for in good Muscadet. Clean, with minerals and lemon zest. This is from Total Wine @ $11.99.Cht. de L'Oiseliniere 2009 Muscadet, S&M (12% ABV) was showing well with all of the above. Not sure of the price but I think around $13-15.

Marc Ollivier can do no wrong in my book, and this edition of his basic bottling does nothing to dissuade me of that idea. Clean and fresh like a mountain stream, it's got a purity and mineral cut to it that makes it a perfect foil to various foods and a fine aperitif on its own. In my case, I had it with some freshly made pasta dressed with fresh tomato, onion and peppers sauteed in EVOO with some fresh basil.

Although inspired by Guy Bossard, a figurehead for the Muscadet appellation, Marc Pesnot of Domaine de la Sénéchalière works outside the Muscadet appellations. His move away from appellations came after tasting the wines of Marcel Lapierre (Beaujololais) and Domaine de Gramenon (Côtes du Rhône), and he decided he wanted to follow a more organic, 'natural', low/zero-sulphur philiosophy.

The wines are sometimes esoteris - some cuvées see malolactic fermentation (Miss Terre), some carbonic maceration (Nuitage). They're all worth trying. The most 'classic', and my favourite, is La Bohême....Domaine de la Sénéchalière La Bohême (Vin de France) 2009: A vibrant, mid-gold hue, polished and bright, quite deep for Melon de Bourgogne although in the grand scheme of things not too deep. The nose is defined and delightful, full of fresh oyster shell, face cream, thyme and citrus fruit, but with a broad, lightly fleshy suggestion to it. The palate shows a supple weight at first, but then the energy comes in, all flinty and defined, with the supple, lightly stony weight of the palate counterbalanced by precise acidity and grip. Really nice energy here, although the style is balanced and fresh. 17/20